


I've been waiting to meet you

by hes_kth



Category: Harry Styles (Musician), One Direction (Band), Zayn Malik (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Blind Date, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Meddling, Romance, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-06 00:14:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11024541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hes_kth/pseuds/hes_kth
Summary: Harry just wanted a cat, to be honest.Or,Niall sets Harry up on dates that he did not ask for, and ends up meeting someone he might have been crushing on.





	I've been waiting to meet you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vinoharry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vinoharry/gifts).



> i suck at summaries. 
> 
> For the prompt:  
> Everyone is convinced that Harry’s unfulfilled due to not being in a relationship. Someone – literally whoever you want – sets him up on a (series of/just one) blind dates.  
> *Put him in as many relationships as you want, but it’s got to be endgame Zarry.  
> *no heavy triggers (depression/anxiety/suicide/abuse/addiction) but recreational drug use and alcohol consumption are totally fine! Also smut is a must (please)
> 
> all thanks to my beta, Romy. she's amazing.  
> title from Lana Del Rey's 'Bel Air'

“I’m getting a cat.” 

 

“What? Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

 

“I’m thinking about getting a fucking cat,” Harry repeats. “I don’t know what breed, though. Maybe I’ll just adopt one that likes me back.”

 

“Why do you want a cat? I thought you were more of a dog person?” Niall asks. He sips his caramel macchiato loudly, earning a few dirty looks from the people around their table. Harry’s mind is fixated on the essay that he is supposed to finish by tomorrow for his English Lit class. He had two weeks to finish it, but of course he started it two days ago. Stupid music major, top of the class student Niall Horan sips his expensive drink in front of him asking him questions that he didn’t sign up for.

 

“I  _ am _ a dog person. But I don’t know, recently I’ve taken a liking to cats. They seem to like me back, too. Most of them.” He pauses typing to look at Niall. He had stopped sipping his drink annoyingly, placing it on the table and folding his arms in front of his chest, looking at him with a frown. Niall had already attracted unnecessary attention from the people around here as he was dressed in an expensive Armani suit. Harry doesn’t even ask what the occasion is.

 

“People who like cats are usually depressed. It’s a psychological fact,” Niall says with a stern look on his face. “And I haven’t seen you around in months. What’s with the dark circles? What’s with your messy look? What’s with your demands of adopting a cat? These are definitely signs of loneliness and depression.”

 

“I’m a college student. I have exams to prepare for, and assignments and projects to hand in. Not everybody’s perfect at what they do. Nor do they walk around in Armani suits,” Harry answers with a scoff, closing his laptop and deciding to write the rest on his way back home. It is almost 7:00PM, and he is planning on watching at least one more episode of Black Mirror before continuing with his essay.

 

“Do you like it? It arrived yesterday. I’m going on a date with Michael at the Opera House. It’s going to be a marvelous show tonight,” he says excitedly, running his hands over the expensive silk. 

 

Harry chuckles. “Date at the Opera House? Who’s this guy? Weren’t you going on a date with someone else last month? I thought you two were ‘soul mates’ or something.”

 

“Michael is a music supervisor. He’s a few years older, very cute, and we have similar tastes. And yes, I was dating some guy back then… He turned out to be kind of weird, and I decided to just move on, ignore him until he stops calling. He even thought my suits were ‘tacky’ and I was ‘boring,’” Niall says. “Like, what even?” he mutters the end.

 

“I don’t know why you go around on dates with these people. You’re a college student, Niall. When are you ever going to get laid?”

 

“Oh my, I think I know why you’re depressed now.” Niall suddenly bangs the table with his palm, earning another round of glares from the people around them. Harry apologizes on his behalf. Niall’s grinning at him, the full-teeth smile with his bright blue eyes shining with joy. Harry knows he’s planning something stupid already.

 

“Whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it. Now excuse me, I have work to do.” Harry smiles politely, grabbing his stuff after pushing his laptop back into his messenger bag. When he gets up, Niall’s whining at him like a little kid.

 

Niall’s not that easy. He grabs Harry’s wrist as he’s leaving, earning more attention from the people around them as they start whispering. Harry groans internally, silently settling back into his seat. He met Niall when he was trying to find his dorm room. He was new to New York City; he had spent his whole life in Ohio, so when he got accepted into NYU, he waited for no-one and grabbed the first flight there. Niall had helped him a lot in the start even though he was a freshman back then too. “Most of the people in my family went here, so I know how everything works around here,” he had said.

 

Hell, if Harry knew Niall was this annoying rich kid with perfect grades, he would’ve ignored him straight away. But then Niall started talking to him every day, squeezing himself into Harry’s daily routine without permission. He was a sophomore now, used to Niall’s daily bickering about the beauty of music and expensive things, and recently, ‘love.’

 

“What is it?” Harry asks without looking at him. He already knows that Niall’s grinning in victory, and he doesn’t want to see it.

 

“You need to go on a date. You need a girlfriend, man. I haven’t seen you with anyone since we met last year. Wait, what’s your sexual orientation?”

 

“It’s 2017.”

 

“So?”

 

“Does that even matter? I like anyone who’s nice enough,” Harry says. He knows that answer is going to melt Niall.

 

“Shit, that’s so fucking cute,” Niall shrieks. He chuckles to himself. “Anyways, how about I set you up with some of my acquaintances? I know a lot of people, and you might really like some of them.”

 

Harry mentally winces at the thought of meeting Niall’s ‘acquaintances.’ If they are like him, he’d rather jump off a Skyscraper than talk to them. But then again, he has seen some of the people Niall hangs out with. One guy named Liam Payne who’s a History major. Harry had met him some months back and he is actually a pretty decent guy. He plays Fifa, likes to drink beer with a small group of friends, and isn’t swimming in money. Plus, he is from Ohio too.

 

“If I don’t like them, you’re going to stop.”

 

“You’re going to thank me for introducing you to your soulmate,” Niall says excitedly, clapping his hands loudly and attracting more attention - if that is even possible. Harry apologizes to them once again.

 

*

 

Harry Styles is a nineteen year old English Literature Major with a minor in History. In his whole one year of college life, he has never ever had to change his seat because somebody decided to have a different view today. So when he walks into his 8:00 English Lit with Professor Claire to find somebody already sat in his seat, he blows up.

 

He blames himself for staying up late; trying to get his essay done and ignoring the uneasy feeling in his mind after the talk with Niall. So when he finds a gloomy guy that he’s maybe spotted twice during his lectures in his seat, he doesn’t shut up. “Hey, this is my seat,” he starts off. The guy startles, looking up at him from his phone and squinting his eyes.

 

Harry knows his name. He’s Zayn Malik, the one who sits at the back, almost invisible until Professor Claire decides to ask him some questions which he answers quickly before going back to being invisible. He doesn’t participate much in class, keeping his profile quite average. 

 

“Sorry, but can we switch for today? Just for today, I promise.” His voice is deep, and smooth, almost like a lullaby. Harry notices how long his eyelashes are; his eyes are quite beautiful.

 

He doesn’t know what to say. The guy looks sad, glancing at the window before looking at Harry again. But then Professor Claire enters the room, apologizing for being a little late, and tells him to get seated. He quietly rushes to the only vacant seat at the back, and groans internally. He needed extra hours of sleep tonight.

 

After the hour long lecture ends, Harry feels half dead. He’s always been a heavy sleeper. Not getting his daily dose of six hour sleep is a hard job in College, but if he needs to keep his grades up, he needs to stay up most of the time. He glances at his table, only to find Zayn already gone. Most of the students had made their way out, and he is just sitting there.

 

Maybe he’ll ask Zayn some other time about why he wanted to switch seats so desperately today.

 

He has History next. He doesn’t know why he took History as a minor. He never really had much interest in that field back in High School, but when his mother suggested he should take a minor in something, it was the only subject he could think of. World History isn’t a fun lecture to attend. He strolls around for a bit, reminding himself that he has forty five minutes to spare.

 

After a mental battle to stay awake, he decides to skip gym today. He walks into TRC to grab a cup of coffee. He notices Zayn sat at one of the tables, scribbling into a notepad with earphones plugged in, bobbing his head slowly. He decides to ignore him for now, getting Mocha and settling down at a vacant table.

 

When he checks his phone for any messages, he finds himself groaning once again. He didn’t expect Niall to be working so soon. He should stop hanging out with Niall, that guy only makes him groan in frustration.

 

**Niall** :  _ I’ve scheduled a date for you with my friend Lisa. Music major, but she’s totally in love with English Lit. She loves poetry and stuff. She’s nice, tall (but not as tall as you), and pretty. You’ll like her. The chances are 63% _

 

**Niall** :  _ Also, I’ve told her to meet you on Friday. Will around 7:00 do? There’s this small, elegant restaurant near Bayle’s. It’s called ‘Ivoriy’. _

 

**Harry** : _ I’ve never heard of that place. _

 

**Niall** :  _ you would if you stepped out of the campus. Anyways, the comfort food there is amazing. You’ll love it. And you’ll love Lisa. _

 

Harry doesn’t reply to that, but he secretly hopes so. The thought of buying a cat doesn’t disappear from his brain. But he’s also sure that he’s not depressed, or lonely for that fact. He drinks his coffee quietly, checking out the surroundings. This place always had a small amount of people at this time. Not too loud, not too quiet.

 

His eyes land on Zayn who stopped scribbling on his notepad, and is now eating a muffin while going through his phone. He never noticed Zayn before, not intentionally. The people in his classes are a blur to him; he doesn’t talk with anyone there. They don’t seem to want to talk either. Zayn wasn’t any different.

 

Zayn’s head jerks up, looking around before he spots Harry staring at him. Harry curses mentally and looks away, sipping his drink quietly and looking at the table cloth which isn’t interesting. He hopes that Zayn doesn’t take him as a stalker now.

 

But, of course, Zayn gets up from his seat and sits down opposite to him. “Hi,” he says. “Sorry about earlier.”

 

He’s happy that Zayn doesn’t comment on him staring like that. Not that Harry was checking him out.

 

“It’s no big deal,” Harry replies calmly. There’s an awkward silence lingering around them before Zayn chuckles. 

 

“I’ve never seen you around. Honestly. But then again, I only know Jackson from our lecture.”

 

“There’s a guy named Jackson in our lecture?”

 

Zayn laughs at that. Shit, he has a nice laugh. His eyes crinkle, also disappearing, before he bites his lower lip and sighs down at the table. “I’m just, ugh, it’s stupid and cliché but I wanted to see if my ex was practicing,” he says. 

 

Harry nods. “So, um, your ex, what were they practicing?”

 

“She plays soccer, and she’s really good at it. She practices with the guys occasionally. We broke up about two months ago; she was also my best friend so it hit me hard when I lost her,” Zayn says, looking at Harry who is listening quietly. “And I’m just telling you because we probably won’t talk again and you could remember me as ‘the typical cliché sad ex-boyfriend’.”

 

Harry smirks at that. His phone beeps again on the table, and he stares at it, annoyed. It’s a message from his mother asking about his studies, and that’s when he reads the time. He’s late. He curses under his breath, grabbing his phone and looking at Zayn for one last time. “Sorry, I have a class to attend. It was nice meeting you, typical cliché sad ex-boyfriend,” he says before rushing out of the shop. Zayn laughs again, waving him goodbye.

 

*

 

Harry and Zayn are definitely acquaintances. Zayn smiles at him when he walks into class, and he returns it. They don’t talk to each other much, but they ask one another about the various assignments, or what they think about today’s lecture. Zayn is one of the top students, Harry knows that. He had read the poem that he had presented last year. It was painfully beautiful, but he doesn’t ask Zayn about it.

 

It’s Friday, and Niall’s been spamming him with messages to not forget about his date. He rolls his eyes at those messages, checking his hair in the mirror for the seventh time tonight. He isn’t expecting much, but he hopes Lisa is a decent person to say the least. He didn’t go for anything fancy, just a baby blue shirt and black jeans.

 

Niall insisted on giving him a ride to the place. He couldn’t say no since the blonde showed up at his door just when he was about to leave, standing in yet another expensive outfit which Harry had learned to not get bothered by. “You look nice,” he had complimented sincerely. Harry took it as a good sign. Niall had already told him the table he was supposed to be seated at, and she would probably recognize him since he had given her quite a vivid description of his looks. Harry was only a little mortified to hear that.

 

“I don’t trust places that are misspelled,” Harry comments during the silent car ride. 

 

Niall chuckles brightly at that. “It’s not misspelled. It’s the name of the owner’s daughter.”

 

Harry decides not to ask how Niall got that information. They stop right in front of the cozy restaurant, Niall sighing deeply while glancing at him. “She’s a good one, be nice to her. You’ll like her,” he says. Harry nods slowly before muttering his goodbyes and stepping out of the car. The moment he enters the glass doors, there’s a man by his side.

 

“Hello! You must be Harry Styles!” the short male exclaims with the biggest grin. Harry jumps a little, looking at him in confusion. “Oh, I saw you with Mr. Horan now. You are Mr. Styles, right?” His enthusiasm fades a little, and his smile disappears.

 

“Yes, I am Harry Styles.”

 

“Good! Let me show you to your table.” His smile is back. Harry reads the name printed on his tag: ‘Louis.’ He follows the man around and they stop in front of sliding shoji doors. He opens them and looks back at Harry. “Go on in, your date should be here soon.”

 

The moment Louis closes the door behind him, he rolls his eyes. Niall always had to make everything extra. All he wanted was a simple date, and here he is in a private room playing classical music in the background. The room is in a pretty decent Japanese style. The tatami flooring is pretty. The traditional Japanese table set in the middle with Zaisu chairs on the opposite sides. There’s a beautiful ikebana arrangement in the center. He sits down on one of the chairs and sighs.

 

There’s a knock on his door. He doesn’t realize he’s sweating until his hands are going through his hair to set it in place. The temperature in this room is decent, the air conditioner running quietly. There’s a quiet voice from the other side, “May I come in, sir?” 

 

He clears his throat before saying, “Yes.”

 

A lady walks inside, carrying a tray and looking completely bored. Harry understands, looking at her quietly as she places it on top of the table. She pours tea into the cup placed in front of Harry. 

 

“Um, what tea is this?” he asks after catching a whiff of the foreign smell. She pauses for a moment before continuing to pour it. 

 

“Houjicha,” she replies. “Mr. Horan told us what you would be drinking already.”

 

He should really stop being friends with Niall. She leaves, telling him to press the buzzer in case he needs anything. After a moment, he notices the blue buzzer on the side of the table. He sighs, sipping his tea quietly. It  _ is _ quite good. The door opens without notice, and he feels oddly irritated before looking at the intruder.

 

“Hello! Sorry, I’m a little late. I was caught up at work,” she apologizes with a smile, closing the door behind her. Harry remembers the description Niall had given him, which wasn’t vivid at all, and he has to admit that she’s beautiful. “So,” she starts off when she gets seated. “Where are you from?”

 

They fall into a pleasant conversation. The waiter eventually brings them the sushi that they wanted, and Harry feels a small light of hope in this date. “I’m from Ohio, too. I was surprised when he told me about you. He did say something like ‘Mick Jagger kind of vibe’ and I have to agree. You do look a bit like him,” she says in her cheerful voice. Harry tries hard not to roll his eyes at that. 

 

“Anyways, how was everything back in Ohio? You came here to study as well, so…” he asks.

 

“Yes, got accepted into Fordham and moved as fast as I could. Life wasn’t good at Ohio,” she replies with a sad smile. Harry feels bad for asking, thinking about something to change the topic, but she continues. “I had this, uh, relationship with someone nice for a long time. We were in love, but everything with them was so sketchy. She was older than me, really private, and didn’t tell me much about her, but I liked her anyway. She broke up with me during my senior year. She went to Paris to study; just thinking about Ohio makes me think of her.”

 

“Oh,” Harry says. “Let’s not talk about Ohio then.”

 

She laughs, and then they continue with their conversation.

 

The moment Harry reaches his dorm after parting ways with her, he sends a quick text to Niall.

 

**Harry** :  _ I am never seeing her again; please tell her that I’m not good for her either. I’m serious Niall, don’t do anything stupid. I don’t want to see her at all. _

 

It is late, so he knows that Niall would send a reply in the morning. He crashes onto his bed and laughs at himself for thinking that everything was going to be perfect tonight.

 

*

 

**Niall** :  _ WHY? _

 

**Niall** :  _ She told me she had a great time. _

 

**Niall** :  _ Why are you like this? _

 

**Harry** :  _ I will keep this as short as possible. _

 

**Harry** : _ She was in a relationship with my sister back in Ohio. It was bad. She doesn’t know that I’m Gemma’s brother. Please, don’t tell her and make sure you tell her that I’m just a shit person. We’re not going to see each other again. _

 

**Harry** :  _ And you had your chance. This is a clear sign that I should stop looking for someone right now and concentrate on my studies. I’m late for my 12:00 class, bye. _

 

He shoves his phone back into his jeans pocket and groans before turning around and walking straight into another human. He winces when their head knocks against his and he steps back. The familiar laugh brings him back from his daze and he looks at Zayn with a frown. 

 

“What are you doing here? Snooping on me?” Harry asks casually. He is stood at the corner of the stairway, out of people’s way.

 

“Yes, I do that to pass time,” Zayn replies. “Are you doing anything right now? I was bored, I was thinking about going to the new café that opened nearby. I heard the cookies there are probably smuggled from heaven.”

 

“Smuggled from heaven? Are you talking about the one that opened right beside Barnes & Nobles?” Harry asks. He heard about it before from Liam, he wants to go there too. 

 

Zayn nods excitedly. “Yes, how amazing is that? So, are you coming?”

 

“I have one last lecture to attend, and I’m sure that you’re in my class too.” Harry smirks at him. Zayn looks offended, but smiles back at him. 

 

“The world won’t end if you miss one class. Plus, the professor likes you. You won’t get in trouble for missing it,” he says. And that’s how Zayn drags him to the new café, making him miss a lecture for the first time.

 

Niall keeps on spamming him with texts, asking him to meet one more person but he’s having none of it. 

 

“Where are you from?” Harry asks when they get seated in the Tumblr-esque café. The walls are pastel green and blue, decorated with a few paintings and drawings on one of the walls near the counter. The speakers play currently popular tunes, and the baristas seem friendly. 

 

“Here,” Zayn replies.

 

“Oh, that’s good.”

 

“I suppose. I wanted to study in London,” Zayn says with a frown that doesn’t last for a long time as he bites into the chocolate chip cookie. “I got a scholarship here, couldn’t miss out on that. Plus, I like it here now. And, this cookie is probably smuggled from heaven.”

 

Harry takes a cookie too, and it’s painfully good. They talk for a long time; Zayn gets half of the things on the menu and shares with Harry because he’s a nice person. They share the bill and leave the café. Harry learns that Zayn lives with another student close to the campus since he didn’t want to deal with any of the dorms shit. 

 

“So,” Harry starts off. “How are you doing? Still keeping tabs on your ex?”

 

“I’m doing great,” Zayn replies. “No, I barely see her anywhere. I don’t care anymore. I’m thinking of going on dates, one of my friends suggested I do. What do you think?”

 

“Go for it,” Harry says with a grin. “I had a date yesterday, it was going great until I found out she was my sister’s ex.”

 

Zayn laughs at that. “What are the odds? That’s crazy, man. I don’t think anything that weird has happened to me. I’m glad it didn’t.”

 

They start hanging out more often after that. They explore new places to eat, sometimes visit the bookstores around the city, and rant about how awful their schedules are. Niall still texts him, but he starts ignoring him once and for all. He is finally having a good time and he doesn’t need to be in a relationship for that. Zayn is nice, funny, and someone he likes hanging out with.

 

But he is also a beautiful and irresistible guy that Harry might have a stupid crush on. He doesn’t know if Zayn likes guys, he probably doesn’t since all dates he had been on were with girls. Harry is too embarrassed to ask him directly, so he keeps the question hidden inside and decides that he’ll soon get over this crush. Or maybe he’ll be one of those people who keep crushing on the same person for years.

 

“What’s your favorite show?” Zayn asks one day when they’re sat on the stairway leading to the storage shed, away from the people. They come here to read sometimes, and Zayn is the one who introduced him to this place. Not a lot of people pass through here since most of them use the east end stairs. It is four in the afternoon, and it is quieter than ever.

 

“Black Mirror,” Harry replies. “Well, I like a lot of shows. Sherlock and Game of Thrones are also some of my favorites.”

 

“You like British television, huh?” Zayn asks with a grin that Harry wants to wipe off his face, only because he looks too pretty with that. 

 

“I guess I do. But I like Supernatural, Law and Order, The Originals, and the list goes on. I like a lot of American TV shows, but the British ones are amazing.” 

 

“You have pretty eyes.”

 

“Huh?” Harry looks at him, still smiling. “What?”

 

“Your eyes, they’re pretty,” Zayn repeats, a smirk plastered on his face. “And, your dimples are very attractive too. You should let me take some pictures, one day.”

 

Harry looks away, staring at the blank notebook on his lap. He knows that Zayn takes photography classes too, but he is amused to hear Zayn throw compliments at him out of nowhere. Is it normal for straight guys to tell other guys they have pretty eyes? He might have to do some analysis on that. For now, he puts on a smile and chuckles. 

 

“Maybe I will. For now, let me concentrate,” he says, glancing at Zayn for a moment before looking back at his book.

 

They stay in silence and keep doing their individual tasks.

 

*

 

Niall barges into his room.

 

“Harry, your friend is here.” Luhan, his annoying roommate, throws a pillow at his face before walking out of the room. Harry groans, not opening his eyes because he doesn’t want to deal with Niall on a Sunday. He stuffs his face into his pillow and hopes Niall would just go away. 

 

“Harry, please get up. I have an idea, please, get up. You’re supposed to meet someone today, please get up!” Niall’s yelling right over him.

 

“I’m not meeting them.”

 

“You will have to. I already told them you were coming.”

 

“You’re an asshole.”

 

“Yes, but you will be one too if you don’t show up. Because I’m not going to tell him that you’re not coming or anything like that. You don’t want to keep someone waiting all alone, letting everybody know that he was stood up. Plus, this time it isn’t a private room like back at the sushi restaurant. He selected the place and all that. Get up!”

 

“Why?” Harry mumbles, turning around and opening his eyes to look at Niall who is frowning at him. “Why are you doing this? And who’s this guy that I’m meeting now?”

 

“He’s a nice guy, and the chances of you liking him are eighty percent. And I made sure he wasn’t from your hometown or anything like that. You probably never see him around, he’s weird like that,” Niall says. 

 

He gets into a sitting position and stares at Niall with sleepy eyes. “I don’t like you,” Harry mutters. “When am I supposed to meet him?”

 

“Aw, I love you too. You’re supposed to be at Le Bernardin by seven. I won’t take you there, but I will call you to make sure that you leave on time. Okay?”

 

“Okay, now leave. If this ends horribly, I will end you.” Harry glares at Niall who smiles innocently at him. “What’s his name?”

 

“I don’t know, why don’t you ask him yourself when you see him?” Niall replies as he walks towards his door. 

 

“What? What the fuck? Tell me his name!” Harry yells at him.

 

“Chill! He doesn’t know your name either! Just sit down at the table number I’ll message you,” Niall yells back before closing the door behind him. Harry stares at his door, burning holes into it with his eyes and hoping that Niall knows how annoying he is.

 

He grabs his phone to see a message from Zayn.

 

**Zayn** :  _ ello mate _

 

**Harry** :  _ what do you want? _

 

**Zayn** :  _ huhhhh is that how you talk to your friends? _

 

**Zayn** :  _ anyways _

 

**Zayn** :  _ I got a dateeeeee _

 

**Zayn** :  _ I mean, I know I’ve been going on dates but _

 

**Zayn** :  _ this one is a lil’ diff, I have a good feeling _

 

One thing that Harry realized after developing a stupid crush on Zayn is that he does his best to avoid talking about his dates. But he’s not very good at being subtle.

 

**Harry** :  _ good for you _

 

**Zayn** :  _ u jelly _

 

**Zayn** :  _ you’re adorable _

 

**Harry** :  _ save those for your date _

 

Zayn doesn’t text back immediately, and Harry’s on the edge of losing his mind.

 

**Harry** :  _ I’m joking _

 

**Harry** :  _ why would I be jelly? I have better things to do! Bye!! _

 

**Zayn** :  _ Hah, okay! See you tomorrow. _

 

He doesn’t reply. Maybe he will try hard today to have a good date with the mystery guy. Niall did say the chances of him liking this guy are higher than the last date he had with the girl who was his sister’s ex. So he leans back into his bed and decides to catch a few more minutes of sleep before thinking about the date tonight.

 

*

 

The place is at a thirty minute drive from the campus. He gets into a cab and checks his hair once again in his phone camera. He hopes the guy isn’t a douchebag like most of the ones he met at his campus. When he gets out of the cab, he grabs his phone once again to check for the table Niall had told him to sit at.

 

Seven, okay. He’s about to head for the sliding glass doors when someone’s hand is on his shoulder. He gasps and jerks back, turning around to see Zayn grinning at him. 

 

“What are you doing here?” Zayn asks. Harry looks down at him, and realizes that he’s dressed up too.

 

“I’m here on important business, don’t follow me. Do whatever you were doing,” Harry replies before quickly heading towards the doors.

 

The last thing he needs is for Zayn to catch him out on a date. He quickly sits down at table seven, which was thankfully empty, and closes his eyes. He is going to be fine, he doesn’t need Zayn, and his date is going to be great.

 

When he opens his eyes, Zayn is sat opposite to him at the table.

 

“Why,” he mutters. “Why are you here?”

 

“Why are  _ you _ here?” Zayn asks back.

 

“I’m supposed to be here. I’m on a date,” Harry replies. “Please leave, I don’t think that person will be glad to see me already talking to someone else.”

 

Zayn grins again. “I don’t think I’ll be angry at all.” 

 

Harry stares at him for a long time before smiling back. “Did Niall send you?” he asks in a calm voice.

 

“Yes, we’re friends and he said he was going to make me meet someone who’s just as annoying as me. How wonderful is this meeting?” Zayn replies happily. Harry places his elbows on the table and hides his face with his palms.  _ How did this happen? Is this real? _

 

“If you’re uncomfortable, I can just go,” Zayn continues in a low voice. Harry removes his hands and looks at him. 

 

“No, no,” he says hastily before placing his hands back on his lap. “You don’t have to go. We don’t have to make this awkward. We’ve been out before, right? This is just a little different, I suppose.”

 

“Truly,” Zayn says. “Do you regret it?”

 

“No.”

 

“Good, me neither.” Zayn looks at him, and when he looks back, the smirk is back on his face. “So, what do you want to eat?”

 

They talk like they are hanging out normally, like any other day. Harry is glad for that, but there is a burning sensation in his stomach.  _ What does this mean? What happens when we leave? _

 

It’s almost eight when they get out of the restaurant. 

 

“I guess I’ll get a cab now, see you tomorrow,” Harry says quietly, turning to the street to look around. 

 

“You don’t have a ride?” Zayn asks.

 

“No.”

 

“Good. Me neither,” Zayn replies with a chuckle. “But it’s mostly because I live at a walking distance of ten minutes.”

 

There’s silence lingering between them once again. “I finished the, uh, sheet,” Zayn says. “Do you want to read it through? I’m submitting it tomorrow, so...”

 

“Oh, yes! That’s the one about Jane Austen, right?” Harry asks with a grin. 

 

Zayn smiles back with a nod. “My place isn’t far away. My roommate might be there; he’s a little annoying but please, do ignore him.” Harry chuckles and follows him to his apartment. They walk in silence, the busy streets of NYC keeping the silence between them bearable. Harry isn’t thinking anything; he knows that nothing is going to happen. Zayn’s roommate will be there, and Zayn himself invited him over for checking a sheet that he was working on for College.

 

“Louis, hey!” Zayn’s loud voice brings him back to reality. He stops right behind Zayn as a guy approaches them. 

 

“Hey, I’m going out tonight,” the guys says before looking at Harry. “I guess you’ll be fine. See you.” And with that he passes by them, glancing at Harry suspiciously before looking straight ahead.

 

“That was my roommate,” Zayn explains as they head inside a building. It is a fairly nice place, and Zayn had told him that his parents had helped him find this place. His sister used to live in the same place during her college days, so he decided to stay here, too. Zayn lives on the seventh floor. The elevator ride is awkward; there’s a couple arguing about cabbages, a tween girl who looks tired, and a guy who is staring at Zayn like a creep.

 

“One day you might just turn me into stone after staring,” Zayn says to the guy when he and Harry are getting off at the seventh floor. The guy looks surprised, but the doors close before he can shout a reply back to Zayn. “That’s some dude who lives on the thirteenth floor, I don’t know him well but he’s… weird.”

 

“I could see that,” Harry replies with a chuckle. Zayn’s apartment is nice and clean, which he wasn’t expecting from two guys living under the same roof. 

 

“Sit down. Do you want anything to drink?” Zayn asks him, gesturing to the inviting red velvet couch which Harry gladly takes a seat on. 

 

“No, I’m good,” Harry says.

 

Zayn gets him the sheets and they spend some time going through it, Harry pointing out various things and Zayn explaining everything to him. Somehow Zayn ends up too close, and Harry’s having difficulty concentrating on the papers in his hands when his and Zayn’s shoulders and thighs are touching.

 

“Harry?” Zayn’s voice is quiet. There’s no one in the room except for the two, and the only sources of light are the faded yellow light in the kitchen and the tall lamp beside the couch to help them see the papers better. “Can I kiss you?”

 

Harry’s staring at the pages, but the words don’t make sense to him anymore. He places the sheets back on the table and looks at Zayn. “Okay,” he says. 

 

Zayn’s closer than ever, his hands going around Harry’s waist and pulling him closer to press their lips together in a strong kiss. Harry breathes heavily and brings his hands around Zayn’s shoulders, one of them going to the back of his neck and holding him in place.

 

“I’ve been thinking about you since you glared at me for stealing your seat,” Zayn whispers against his lips before kissing him again. Zayn’s lips are rough around Harry’s, but no less good. Harry almost giggles, holding him closer and pushing his tongue past his lips.

 

Zayn is the first one to break the kiss after making out for a couple of minutes. Harry looks at him, surprised before catching his breath. But then Zayn’s lips are on Harry’s jaw, pressing kisses, and biting right below his ear, making Harry sink his nails into his shoulders.  

 

“Harry,” Zayn whispers into his ear. “What do you want?”

 

“I don’t know,” Harry replies. “Anything.”

 

“Okay.” Zayn pulls back. “How about you go on a date with me next Saturday?”

 

Harry grins in reply.

 

*

The next Saturday Zayn pulls Harry into the storage room and kisses the life out of him. 

 

“Is this where we’re going to have our date? Very romantic,” Harry giggles into Zayn’s lips. Zayn is smiling at him like a fool, and Harry hates how he already likes him so much. 

 

“I got the recipe for the cookies smuggled from heaven, and I’m very good at baking things so you should be glad that I’m inviting you to try them,” Zayn informs him, his hands still around Harry’s waist.

 

“Really? I did want to go and eat the cookies again. Are you sure they’re good?” Harry asks. 

 

“Yes, I tasted the first batch myself.”

 

“How did you get the recipe?”

 

“I asked someone,” Zayn replies. “From there. They just told me.”

 

“Don’t tell me they told you that because of your ‘oh so pretty’ face.”

 

“You know me so well,” Zayn grins, kissing him once again. Harry grimaces for a moment before grinning into the kiss and pressing himself closer to Zayn.

 

After their final class, they head back to Zayn’s apartment. His roommate Louis is out like always; Zayn had said that he parties a lot and works for long hours, so they barely see each other. Harry makes himself comfortable on the kitchen counter and waits for Zayn to finish his work. After some minutes of nagging, Zayn shoves a cookie into his mouth.

 

“How is it?” he asks.

 

“Hmm.” Harry lets the cookie melt into his mouth. “I would rate it a strong nine.”

 

“Nine? Doesn’t it taste exactly like the store?” Zayn frowns. Harry continues munching on the cookie. 

 

“Yes, but you didn’t listen to me when I asked you how long it took you to set everything up and what things you used, so I’m reducing a point for the amount of disrespect I got.”

 

Zayn rolls his eyes but ends up smiling too. “I can’t concentrate on work if I pay attention to you, especially when you’re sat on the counter like that. Do you know how amazing your legs are?”

 

Harry blushes momentarily before leaning back and looking at Zayn. “I do know that, I work out.” Zayn walks closer and stands between his legs, grabbing the back of his thighs and pulling him closer, rushing a hand behind Harry’s neck and pressing their foreheads together. 

 

“Is this okay?” he asks.

 

“Stop asking and start doing things,” Harry replies with a menacing grin.

 

Zayn presses his lips to Harry’s, kissing him softly, just the way Harry likes him to. His hands are moving up and down Harry’s sides before one of his hands make their way under Harry’s t-shirt. Harry’s breath hitches when Zayn’s fingers play with his nipples, his other hand also making its way under his t-shirt. Zayn’s lips are back on his neck, biting a mark into it.

 

“You’re so beautiful,” Zayn says against his skin, pressing light kisses over the purple bruise forming on his neck. His hands roam around Harry’s naked skin, over his smooth back and stopping on top of the back of his jeans. “Tell me what you want,” Zayn asks once again. Harry’s looking at him, his hands on either side of Zayn’s neck.

 

“Fuck me,” Harry whispers. Zayn pulls him closer, and Harry’s legs immediately wrap themselves around Zayn’s waist as they head towards the bedroom. Harry had seen Zayn’s room before and groans when his back lands on the soft sheets on Zayn’s bed. 

 

Zayn chuckles, “You wanted to know how it felt like, right?”

 

“What?” Harry asks.

 

“You said that my sheets looked really comfy. How does it feel?” Zayn asks, climbing on top of him and staring into his eyes. 

 

“It’s good,” Harry replies. “Better now that you’re here, too.”

 

Zayn pecks his lips before biting down his neck. He helps Harry out of his t-shirt, and licks a stripe down his belly button, biting right below his navel and looking up at him. “Can you hand me the lube?” he asks. “It’s in the first drawer,” Zayn says while getting off him. Harry nods, turning around and crawling towards the nightstand to get the lube.

 

The moment he grabs it, he feels Zayn back on top of him, his body pressing against Harry’s back, and snatching the bottle from him. “Stay like this,” Zayn says. Harry nods, looking down at the sheets and waiting. “I’m sorry, I don’t have a condom,” Zayn continues as he starts pulling Harry’s jeans down. 

 

“Oh, it’s okay, just pull out,” Harry says.

 

Zayn’s hands are on his hips, moving around his back before they’re completely off. Harry can hear him shuffling with the bottle before Zayn’s palm is firm against his hip, holding him in place. One of his fingers teases his rim, and he groans at the feeling. He hadn’t been with anyone for a long time, even sexually.

 

Zayn is thankfully slow, asking Harry again and again if he is doing alright. Zayn is on his third finger when Harry’s eyes are done crying over the pain and a moan escapes his lips. Zayn’s fingers brush against his prostate as he pushes back into his hand. Zayn continues to fuck him with his fingers for a while before asking him if he is ready.

 

“I want to see you,” Harry pleads. Zayn’s hands are back on his hips, turning him around and smiling down at him. Harry smiles back before glaring at him. “Take off your shirt,” he demands. Zayn looks surprised for a moment before he chuckles, nodding and unbuttoning his shirt before throwing it at a corner. Zayn’s hands find the back of Harry’s thighs, pulling him closer and bending down to press slow kisses around his chest.

 

Harry’s grip on Zayn’s hair becomes tighter when he feels the tip of his dick tease his opening. His hands fall back on Zayn’s broad back, holding him close as Zayn continues to push in after letting him adjust for a moment. He stares into Harry’s eyes as he bottoms out, and it’s so intimate that Harry has to close his eyes to let it all sink in.

 

“You can move now,” Harry whispers. Zayn nods, slowly pulling out before thrusting in again. Harry gasps; dragging his nails down Zayn’s back, whispering curses as Zayn starts thrusting at a normal pace. “Faster,” Harry says, grabbing Zayn’s neck and crashing their lips together as Zayn groans and fastens his pace.

 

“Fuck, I’m so happy I met you,” Harry says, their lips brushing together. “I’m so happy you sat in my seat,”

 

“Me too,” Zayn whispers before kissing him again. Harry holds him close and groans when he pulls out, only to attend to Harry’s swollen dick, licking the precum off before sinking his mouth on him. Harry holds his hair, trying not to shove his face down as he finishes into his mouth.

 

He returns the favor with a handjob.

 

*

“Where is my thank you?” Niall asks, taking a seat at Zayn and Harry’s table. “I haven’t seen either of you in a month. You’ve been ignoring my calls,  _ and _ my texts. You’re not even in your apartments when I come by. What is this? Why didn’t you tell me you two were dating? Why did I hear this from Liam of all people?”

 

“What?” Harry asks, confused as he looks at Zayn. “Who is this guy?”

 

“I have no idea,” Zayn replies. “Come on babe, we have to check out the library today.” Harry nods and takes Zayn’s hand, following him outside. Niall gasps, yelling curses at them before he’s eventually shushed by the authorities there.

 

Harry and Zayn laugh heartily, walking down the streets hand in hand. “When are we getting a cat?” Harry asks with a frown. “You promised me.”

 

“I want a tabby.”

 

“Me too! Oh my God, I know a shelter too. Maybe we could rescue the one who likes us the most,” Harry says excitedly. “What if there isn’t a tabby in the shelter?”

 

“Doesn’t matter then, we’ll get the one that needs us the most?” Zayn says. “You’re lucky I like all kinds of animals.”

 

“I’m going to thank Niall later for this,” Harry says, looking at Zayn who’s still smiling. 

 

“Yeah, me too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you liked this! feedback is appreciated (:


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